This spring and early summer, the Norman Bird Sanctuary was a living laboratory for the next generation of environmental scientists through the newly launched Eaddo and Peter Kiernan Scholars Program.
Made possible by a generous four-year grant from the Kiernan Foundation, the Kiernan Scholars program is a summer field ecology intensive led by Norman Bird Sanctuary and Salve Regina University. This program focuses on conservation biology and provides undergraduate students with hands-on, credit-bearing research experience in the field. Students work alongside faculty mentor Dr. Jameson Chace and Sanctuary staff, collecting valuable data on birds, habitats, water quality, and wildlife that will help inform conservation and stewardship efforts at the Sanctuary.
After months of fieldwork and discovery, the program concluded with two milestone events that showcased its early successes to the community and fellow researchers:
- Dr. Jameson Chace Lecture (June 16): More than 75 community members gathered at the Norman Bird Sanctuary for a public lecture by Dr. Jameson Chace, celebrating the growing partnership and the impact of place-based conservation education.
- Kiernan Scholars Presentations (June 24): Kiernan Scholars presented the initial findings from their field research to Sanctuary staff and Board, including an encouraging study of Eastern Towhees! Their findings suggest that the Sanctuary’s forests, scrublands, and grasslands are providing the habitat conditions that this species needs, demonstrating how active stewardship benefits wildlife. We are so proud of these students for demonstrating the knowledge, professionalism, and scientific curiosity developed through months of hands-on work at the Sanctuary.
By bringing students into the field, the Eaddo and Peter Kiernan Scholars Program strengthens both conservation education and the Sanctuary’s ongoing research efforts. As the inaugural season comes to a close, we are inspired by all that has been accomplished and by the chapter ahead. This partnership is creating a model for how conservation, education, and research can deliver greater mission impact: giving students the opportunity to become environmental leaders while generating the knowledge needed to protect the habitats and species that call the Norman Bird Sanctuary home.
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